Apple's Secret Retail Meeting About 'Joint Venture' Genius Bar for Businesses?

[Mattie Num Nums]

One thing that I have always been curious about is how extensive is the training for Geniuses at apple?

You goto Cupertino and basically you go through Hardware and Software certification for 2 weeks. Its a cram session to get you certified. Almost anyone with some technical knowledge can pass it. I took my Genius training with 2 guys who had never used a Mac in there lives and they passed with flying colors.

 

[manu chao]

Now wait a minute. Back in September when I was going through the hiring process for Apple Retail, they had a service like this. The guy was wearing a Black t-shirt with the famous on the front in the video that we all watched. Now from what I could remember the guy was dropping off a MacBook Pro or an iMac to a small business owner and he helped him set it up and what not.

So whats the big difference here and why is Apple charging a premium price for it?

One word: On-Site Service
Currently Apple does not offer any on-site service. They do offer it to a limited extent for desktop Macs for hardware repairs if you live close enough to an Apple store. But not Apple Care or Genius Bar kind software support on-site.

 

[Mattsasa]

this has been quite an exciting day on macrumors.com

 

[Digital Skunk]

..while [Apple are] yanking its server products that a lot of Mac shops are relying upon!

Just what I was thinking when I read the rumor. There's no way Apple can cater to SMBs and corporate customers given that they've pretty much axed their one offering that many shops relied upon.

If they are as good as the Genii at the Genius bar currently, Small Businesses are in trouble. Hardly, any Genii have any concept of how business infrastructure is maintained or ran. We have to take machines to our local Bar to get fixed (if we are in a hurry) and they are always trying to blame our custom scripts running as the reason why we have distorted video. Wrong answer.

Let's not forget the week turn around time for a top case replacement, or the two weeks I waited for a HDD replacement.

And don't think about just bringing your machine back when the parts are in stock . . . you have to leave it there while they wait for the part. I think the Genius Bar model should be left behind if Apple wants to cater to SMBs because it's terrible for all but the average consumer.

 

[zenio]

Could help businesses feel more confident/secure in buying Macs, knowing someone has their back?

Translation:

Apple grabs some more money, my stocks go higher.

Nothing like Apple Tax to make you smile.

 

[iansilv]

Ah yes- the ever-strong NDA- violated again...

 

[manu chao]

You goto Cupertino and basically you go through Hardware and Software certification for 2 weeks. Its a cram session to get you certified. Almost anyone with some technical knowledge can pass it. I took my Genius training with 2 guys who had never used a Mac in there lives and they passed with flying colors.

That explains why in my Genius bar experience they were never able to fix my software problems unless you count the advice to re-install the OS as a successful fix.

Just yesterday I again falsely placed some hopes of them being able to fix the problem of iTunes suddenly not seeing both my iOS devices faster than I could fix it by googling.
The solution was to re-install iTunes, their solution was to re-install the whole OS. And while being there they also mentioned that all the apps in the fast-switching tray in iOS are still running and consuming memory and should thus be cleared regularly. I countered that iOS is clearing them from RAM whenever it needs new RAM for other apps. I was told this was definitely not the case. This went on, back and fourth for a short while until I brought up the point that even after a restart, this list still contained all the apps it had before the restart and it definitely would not be running them and having them all in memory after a restart.

 

[Wurm5150]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

So Apple is selling JOINT now?

 

[nc7r]

Yawn. They had to sign NDAs for that?

You'd be surprised at the boring stuff NDA's have to be signed for with Apple!

It's set to be a pretty sweet service from the business customers perspective I reckon.

 

[Mister Snitch]

Could help businesses feel more confident/secure in buying Macs, knowing someone has their back?

Indeed. But here's something else:

Apple could be looking to empower and deploy the next generation of IT guys. Think about it. An army of Apple-trained technicians, working on a semi-freelance basis for small businesses. Some of them outgrow the 'Genius Bar' status and hang up their own shingle, or they get hired full-time by a growing business.

Guess what kind of computers that company buys for the next five or ten years?

Also, the potential for advancement beyond the retail space is a terrific motivation for those Genius-Bar workers and aspiring GB workers. This could be a win for Apple, and a big win for their best and brightest retail employees.

 

[Digital Skunk]

Indeed. But here's something else:

Apple could be looking to empower and deploy the next generation of IT guys. Think about it. An army of Apple-trained technicians, working on a semi-freelance basis for small businesses. Some of them outgrow the 'Genius Bar' status and hang up their own shingle, or they get hired full-time by a growing business.

Guess what kind of computers that company buys for the next five or ten years?

Also, the potential for advancement beyond the retail space is a terrific motivation for those Genius-Bar workers and aspiring GB workers. This could be a win for Apple, and a big win for their best and brightest retail employees.

That would be okay, but Apple would need to do that at the college level.

 

[notabadname]

Smart move.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

About time they started taking the SMB world seriously. A few years ago, Apple Care's level II technician's best advice, upon getting a new mini with the then-new Leopard, was to return the machine when it had an OS level bug.

Does this mean you'll still be able to buy computers with 10.6 Snow Leopard when 10.7 Lion comes out, too?

Otherwise I don't see Apple succeeding in the business world for too long.

 

[ideaguy]

Finally, someone gets it.

Personally I am amazed at the comments I read about how some people treat Apple retail staff, but some people have no way of knowing how to behave in public and really, that's a shame. Oh well.

Anyway, I agree with these comments below. I would pay to have someone from come to my business (a cafe) instead of taking my 'tower' Mac OS X Server server for service. In the past and until things change you have to pay some snot-nose to come and fix everything Windows based, or have someone live with the machines ... oh right, in some places these are called IT departments.

Say goodbye to the IT Department that doesn't quickly warm up to Apple. Every accounting department will look at the cost of the non announced service and compare it to a couple of salaries. I know mine is going to.

Oh I would hate to be in a windows-based IT department with an upstart executive(s) who just got his/her iPad or MacBook Air asking 'tell me again why we don't support this?'

Can't wait to sign up.

Indeed. But here's something else:

Apple could be looking to empower and deploy the next generation of IT guys. Think about it. An army of Apple-trained technicians, working on a semi-freelance basis for small businesses. Some of them outgrow the 'Genius Bar' status and hang up their own shingle, or they get hired full-time by a growing business.

Guess what kind of computers that company buys for the next five or ten years?

 

[ciTiger]

Always good news to see improvements.

 

[charlituna]

Maybe the NDA was to cover clients information, not to hide the topic of the meeting. I would assume that since they are now dealing with companies that their NDA would have to change a bit.

It sounded like it was a NDA about the contents of the meeting. Client privacy is a legal issue in most states so they don't need a NDA for that

however, I am thinking there is something off about this rumor. Most stores barely have enough geniuses to cover the folks walking in. If you start sending them out to businesses etc, that means having to cut back appointment, pissing off customers even more.

So perhaps it isn't the same Geniuses but someone there just to help businesses, just like a lot of stores have a business sales person or several

 

[karsten]

Indeed. But here's something else:

Apple could be looking to empower and deploy the next generation of IT guys. Think about it. An army of Apple-trained technicians, working on a semi-freelance basis for small businesses. Some of them outgrow the 'Genius Bar' status and hang up their own shingle, or they get hired full-time by a growing business.

Guess what kind of computers that company buys for the next five or ten years?

Also, the potential for advancement beyond the retail space is a terrific motivation for those Genius-Bar workers and aspiring GB workers. This could be a win for Apple, and a big win for their best and brightest retail employees.

mac minis in a 1U?

 

[Macs In LA]

Hmm. This makes me wonder a lot and worry a little.

I have been in business in LA for about 10 years as a freelance Mac IT guy. It's been a great business.

Now that Apple has declared war on me, it does make me wonder. The only way this program will be successful is if there is a dedicated Mac "genius" for each business. Every business environment is VERY unique and quirky, and an IT pro has to learn the quirks, desires, operations and personalities of who they deal with. I have only one place that does everything "by the book" meaning the way Apple wants all things to run. From custom software to legacy software to (shall we say) incomplete software documentation, to networking, hardwiring to being able to deal with contractors' T1-T3s, various internet service providers to hardware networking.... I cannot see how Apple can actually deal with any of this except to say "Buy all new stuff, relearn everything and do it our way. Here's the bill." One person (or one team) needs to learn all the quirks and workarounds customers demand.

Apple, as demonstrated by the Genius Bars, instead demands customers limit themselves to Apple's Box. That gap is where i have made my livelihood for some time.

In the last two years, there has been a huge decline in the quality of work done at Genius Bars. Their big competitive advantage is that they can swap equipment for new (well, usually refurbs) at will if they can't diagnose or solve a problem, and the Geniuses as of late seem to exist only to sell new gear rather than help the customer with what they have; it's a pretty aggressive stance they take as soon as they see anything is out of warranty.

Apple's sales have tripled in what, 3.5-4 years, but their staffing at the Genius Bars has gone up about 20% from what I can tell. That is a huge gap, and means less quality.

And yes, I do test the Geniuses at the Beverly Center, Glendale, Century City and The Grove Apple stores pretty regularly. On occasion, when someone good leaves Apple's employ, I hire them as floaters or subcontractors... but that happens to maybe 1 of 30 Geniuses I test.

I have no idea how this will go. Will Apple also run software development and third-party packages like POS, credit card processing, networking, App Development, databases, global networking or just stick to Apple gear and Apple hardware and by the book Apple standard fixes and sales efforts?

I dunno. I wonder.

 

[Full of Win]

I have been in business in LA for about 10 years as a freelance Mac IT guy. It's been a great business.

Now that Apple has declared war on me, it does make me wonder. The only way this program will be successful is if there is a dedicated Mac "genius" for each business. Every business environment is VERY unique and quirky, and an IT pro has to learn the quirks, desires, operations and personalities of who they deal with. I have only one place that does everything "by the book" meaning the way Apple wants all things to run. From custom software to legacy software to (shall we say) incomplete software documentation, to networking, hardwiring to being able to deal with contractors' T1-T3s, various internet service providers to hardware networking.... I cannot see how Apple can actually deal with any of this except to say "Buy all new stuff, relearn everything and do it our way. Here's the bill." One person (or one team) needs to learn all the quirks and workarounds customers demand.

Apple, as demonstrated by the Genius Bars, instead demands customers limit themselves to Apple's Box. That gap is where i have made my livelihood for some time.

In the last two years, there has been a huge decline in the quality of work done at Genius Bars. Their big competitive advantage is that they can swap equipment for new (well, usually refurbs) at will if they can't diagnose or solve a problem, and the Geniuses as of late seem to exist only to sell new gear rather than help the customer with what they have; it's a pretty aggressive stance they take as soon as they see anything is out of warranty.

Apple's sales have tripled in what, 3.5-4 years, but their staffing at the Genius Bars has gone up about 20% from what I can tell. That is a huge gap, and means less quality.

And yes, I do test the Geniuses at the Beverly Center, Glendale, Century City and The Grove Apple stores pretty regularly. On occasion, when someone good leaves Apple's employ, I hire them as floaters or subcontractors... but that happens to maybe 1 of 30 Geniuses I test.

I have no idea how this will go. Will Apple also run software development and third-party packages like POS, credit card processing, networking, App Development, databases, global networking or just stick to Apple gear and Apple hardware and by the book Apple standard fixes and sales efforts?

I dunno. I wonder.

I doubt you have much to worry about. Last time I had an appointment they were running 45 minutes late on them. I could see a delay for a walk-in, but an appointment registered hours before coming, and they were still 45 minutes late on seeing me.

 

[daveydog]

I was offered this service about a month ago when I was window shopping (see what I did there) for my small business... I thought they were already doing this... they offered early morning access via phone and in-store appointments (before store is open), etc... direct hot-lines for business support, etc..

 

[kingtj]

It's not much of a war ... just a small skirmish at best....

I do on-site service/consulting for both PC and Mac customers myself. Frankly, I far prefer the Mac clients -- but they're relatively few and far between, because Mac users just don't have all the issues the Windows PC crowd has (virus and spyware issues, cryptic error boxes from faulty software installations, etc.).

Even so, I'm not too concerned about Apple offering this new service. Chances are, it will pan out a lot like "GeekSquad" did for me when Best Buy kicked it off. It actually *generated* new customers for me, for two reasons:

1. People who wouldn't otherwise think about calling someone for on-site service hear or see all the Best Buy advertising and it plants the seed in their head. So indirectly, they've done a type of advertising for me.

2. GeekSquad's quality of service is generally so poor, I get people who call me, desperately, asking if I can do a better job than the GeekSquad people they already wasted money on and got fed up with.

Really, I think the Apple Geniuses, by and large, try their best to help people out. It's a tough job and they're not that well compensated for it either. But Apple's corporate policy is all about hiring people with little or no previous computer experience and training them "their way". That winds up producing a bunch of relatively-cheap labor with "fresh" people who like the job a lot, and wind up doing a "good enough" job to get a lot of sales made for Apple.

I have been in business in LA for about 10 years as a freelance Mac IT guy. It's been a great business.

Now that Apple has declared war on me, it does make me wonder. The only way this program will be successful is if there is a dedicated Mac "genius" for each business. Every business environment is VERY unique and quirky, and an IT pro has to learn the quirks, desires, operations and personalities of who they deal with. I have only one place that does everything "by the book" meaning the way Apple wants all things to run. From custom software to legacy software to (shall we say) incomplete software documentation, to networking, hardwiring to being able to deal with contractors' T1-T3s, various internet service providers to hardware networking.... I cannot see how Apple can actually deal with any of this except to say "Buy all new stuff, relearn everything and do it our way. Here's the bill." One person (or one team) needs to learn all the quirks and workarounds customers demand.

Apple, as demonstrated by the Genius Bars, instead demands customers limit themselves to Apple's Box. That gap is where i have made my livelihood for some time.

In the last two years, there has been a huge decline in the quality of work done at Genius Bars. Their big competitive advantage is that they can swap equipment for new (well, usually refurbs) at will if they can't diagnose or solve a problem, and the Geniuses as of late seem to exist only to sell new gear rather than help the customer with what they have; it's a pretty aggressive stance they take as soon as they see anything is out of warranty.

Apple's sales have tripled in what, 3.5-4 years, but their staffing at the Genius Bars has gone up about 20% from what I can tell. That is a huge gap, and means less quality.

And yes, I do test the Geniuses at the Beverly Center, Glendale, Century City and The Grove Apple stores pretty regularly. On occasion, when someone good leaves Apple's employ, I hire them as floaters or subcontractors... but that happens to maybe 1 of 30 Geniuses I test.

I have no idea how this will go. Will Apple also run software development and third-party packages like POS, credit card processing, networking, App Development, databases, global networking or just stick to Apple gear and Apple hardware and by the book Apple standard fixes and sales efforts?

I dunno. I wonder.

 

[triceretops]

Ask an apple employee

Has anyone found out if there is any truth to this rumor. Has apple actually asked employees to sign non disclosure agreements? Is this any different than the end of the quarter meeting they have at the end of every quarter? My research says Sunday's meeting is no big deal.

 

[CR4V3]

It's an interesting idea, I'm not to worried about it stealing my lunch. Any small business is going to want a dedicated group who they can call 24/7 if need be, not the Genius Bar, who may only be available from 8 am to 5 pm.

 

[e-coli]

my biggest dream is to work for Apple

Oh stevie, help me here!

Actually it sucks. More than a few friends there. They all hate the structure at Apple.

 

[Mattie Num Nums]

Indeed. But here's something else:

Apple could be looking to empower and deploy the next generation of IT guys. Think about it. An army of Apple-trained technicians, working on a semi-freelance basis for small businesses. Some of them outgrow the 'Genius Bar' status and hang up their own shingle, or they get hired full-time by a growing business.

Guess what kind of computers that company buys for the next five or ten years?

Also, the potential for advancement beyond the retail space is a terrific motivation for those Genius-Bar workers and aspiring GB workers. This could be a win for Apple, and a big win for their best and brightest retail employees.

No Mac IT would ever want to work for Apple. Apple couldn't afford us.